Christmas tree



April 5, 1955 w. G. SMITH 2,705,382

CHRISTMAS TREE Filed Dec. 1, 1952 WA LIE/Z 6. SMITH.

WA; H4441 hI-S ATTYS- United States Patent CHRISTMAS TREE Walter George Smith, Waldheim, Saskatchewan, Canada Application December 1, 1952, Serial No. 323,351

1 Claim. (Cl. 41-15) My invention relates to new and useful improvements in simulated Christmas trees, an object of my invention being to provide a device of the character herewithin described which takes up relatively little space when unfolded and which, furthermore, can be folded into a compact space for storage purposes.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which contains means to support Christmas ornaments and the like.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes means to support conventional greeting cards on the branches thereof.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which can be placed relatively close to the wall inasmuch as the branches are all in the same plane.

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is extremely simple in construction, economical in manufacture and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects and advantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention relates as this specification proceeds, my invention consists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all as hereinafter more particularly described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of my device.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the main support showing the hinge connection of one of the arms thereto.

Figure 3 is an enlarged end sectional view of one of the arms showing the greeting card support means secured thereto.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

It has been realized that many homes and residences do not have sufficient space to display a coniferous tree at Christmas time. Furthermore, many people, particularly people residing in suites and the like, dislike having such trees on their premises due to the inherent fire hazard and other reasons.

For these reasons, together with the fact that natural coniferous trees are sometimes difficult to get in certain locations, I have designed a simulated Christmas tree which may readily be unfolded and set up when desired and, after the season is over, may be folded up and stored until the following year.

Proceeding now to describe my invention in detail, it will be seen upon reference to the accompanying drawings that my tree consists of a central vertical supporting member 1 made of tubular steel or the like, said member being adapted to slide over a lower member 2, which in turn surmounts a tripod base 3 braced by chains 4. It will be appreciated that the height of the supporting member 1 may be varied by sliding it up or down the lower member 2 and a conventional clamp 5 is provided to locate these two members in the desired relationship.

Extending outwardly upon each side of the supporting member 1 is a plurality of arms 6 and it will be seen that the length of these arms decreases successively from the lower arm towards the uppermost arm designated 6. These arms, which are also of tubular steel, are secured to the main supporting member 1 by means of a hinge 7 riveted to the member 1 and also to the upper surface 8 of the arms 6. By this method of securement, it will be seen that when the arm is lowered to the position shown in Figures 1 and 2, the innermost end 9 of the arm butts against the wall of the member 1 thus preventing any further downward movement of the arm. Alternatively, when it is desired to store the device, the arms 6 may be folded upwardly to lie substantially flush with the supporting member 1.

Secured in spaced relationship along the upper surfaces 8 of the arms 6 is a plurality of upstanding pegs 10 which may either be secured to the arms by welding or other conventional means. These pegs are designed to receive and support conventional Christmas decorations and ornaments, so that it will be seen that the tree may be decorated as desired.

I have also provided means secured to the underside 11 of the arms 6 to support and display conventional greeting cards normally received at this time of the year. To accomplish this I have secured a coiled spring 12 to the underside of the arms 6 by means of rivets 13 or similar means, it being understood that the individual coils 13 of the spring 12 are relatively close together so that the edge of a card is inserted between adjacent coils and gripped thereby and allowed to depend therefrom in a displayed position. In this case, of course, it will be realized that the coil spring is situated substantially parallel to the arms 6.

In Figure l is also shown an alternative method of suspending greeting cards particularly suitable for display purposes in stores or the like. This consists of a plurality of spring rings 14 each ring consisting of one coil having overlapping ends. These rings are secured to the underside of the arms 6 by conventional means and the ring so formed is parallel with the arm or in a plane at right angles to the coils of the aforementioned springs 12.

Since various modifications can be made in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claim without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

A simulated Christmas tree comprising in combination a central, vertical supporting member, a plurality of arms extending horizontally from said supporting member, means on the upper surfaces of said arms adapted to support decorations, and means secured to the underside of said arms adapted to support greeting cards, said arms being hingedly secured to said supporting member and adapted to fold upwardly for storage purposes, said firstmentioned means comprising a plurality of pegs extending upwardly from the upper surfaces of said arms, said second-mentioned means comprising a plurality of spring rings having overlapping ends, said rings being secured to the undersides of said arms and parallel therewith by a portion of said ring substantially opposite to said overlapping ends.

Straub Feb. 12, 1907 Glover Dec. 11, 1928 

